Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on oxytetracycline trophic transfer: Immune, gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance gene responses

When polypropylene microplastics and the antibiotic oxytetracycline were present together in water, the microplastics acted as carriers that increased antibiotic buildup in shrimp and fish through the food chain. This combination caused more gut and liver damage, weakened immune defenses, and promoted the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings highlight that microplastics can make antibiotic pollution worse by helping resistant genes move up the food chain.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 34 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence of microplastic in specific organs in commercially caught fishes from coast and estuary area of east China

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in aquatic environments and found that the plastic particles can absorb and concentrate the drug on their surface. The adsorption capacity increased with weathering of the plastic, suggesting that aged microplastics in the environment are more effective carriers of pharmaceutical pollutants. The findings raise concerns that microplastics could transport antibiotics through water systems, potentially contributing to antimicrobial resistance.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 453 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Aggravate the Bioaccumulation of Two Waterborne Veterinary Antibiotics in an Edible Bivalve Species: Potential Mechanisms and Implications for Human Health

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect the bioaccumulation of two veterinary antibiotics, oxytetracycline and florfenicol, in the edible blood clam. The study found that microplastic co-exposure aggravated antibiotic accumulation in the clams, raising concerns about increased health risks for consumers of contaminated shellfish.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of microplastics in mediating the transmission of antibiotic resistance gene tet from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to Litopenaeus vannamei

Researchers investigated whether microplastics can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria into shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), facilitating the transfer of resistance genes. They found that PVC microplastics carrying tetracycline-resistant bacteria altered the distribution of the resistance gene tet in shrimp tissues and caused changes in tissue structure and gene expression, suggesting microplastics may pose indirect risks to food safety.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
Review Tier 2

A critical review of microplastics in the shrimp farming environment: Incidence, characteristics, effects, and a first mass balance model

This review provides the first mass balance model for tracking how microplastics flow through shrimp farming systems, from water and feed inputs to accumulation in shrimp tissues and sediments. Researchers found that microplastics can act as carriers for other contaminants and accumulate in shrimp at levels that may pose risks to consumers. The study identifies critical knowledge gaps in understanding how aquaculture practices contribute to microplastic contamination in farmed seafood.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the bioaccumulation and corresponding food safety risk of antibiotics in edible bivalves by constraining detoxification-related processes

Researchers found that microplastics increased the accumulation of antibiotics in three commercially important species of edible shellfish. The microplastics interfered with the animals' natural detoxification processes, making it harder for them to clear antibiotic residues from their tissues. The study raises food safety concerns, suggesting that microplastic-contaminated coastal waters could lead to higher antibiotic levels in the seafood people consume.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Risks of Microplastic Fomites to Aquatic Organisms with Special Emphasis on Polyethylene-Microplastic-Glyphosate Exposure Case in Aquacultured Shrimp

This review examines the distribution, sorption capacity, and bioaccumulation of microplastics in aquatic environments, with a case study on polyethylene microplastic co-exposure with glyphosate in farmed shrimp. The authors identify a knowledge gap on the combined toxicity of glyphosate sorbed to polyethylene microplastics in shrimp and call for studies addressing health risks to both the organisms and human consumers.

2022 Applied Sciences 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and nanoplastics in shrimp: Mechanisms of plastic particle and contaminant distribution and subsequent effects after uptake

This review summarizes how microplastics and nanoplastics affect shrimp, which are an important food source for humans. The tiny plastic particles can carry harmful chemicals and pathogens into shrimp tissue, which then move up the food chain when people eat contaminated seafood. The findings highlight concerns about plastic pollution in aquaculture and its indirect effects on human health through the food we eat.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on oxytetracycline trophic transfer: Immune, gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance gene responses

Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect the trophic transfer of oxytetracycline from shrimp to crucian carp in an experimental food chain, then assessed immune responses, gut microbiota changes, and antibiotic resistance gene abundance. PP microplastics acted as carriers that enhanced antibiotic transfer, suppressed immune function in fish, and enriched antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbiome.

2025
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of polystyrene microplastics and roxithromycin on bioaccumulation and biochemical status in the freshwater fish red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Researchers investigated the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic roxithromycin on red tilapia and found that microplastics enhanced the bioaccumulation of the drug in fish tissues. The co-exposure also produced greater biochemical disruption than either contaminant alone, suggesting microplastics may act as carriers that increase pharmaceutical uptake in freshwater fish.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 349 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of microplastics and selected pharmaceuticals on red tilapia: Role of microplastic aging

Researchers compared how aged versus virgin polystyrene microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and the beta-blocker propranolol in red tilapia. They found that aged microplastics, which have rougher surfaces from UV weathering, adsorbed more pharmaceuticals and altered their bioavailability to the fish. The study demonstrates that environmental aging of microplastics changes their capacity to carry and release pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic systems.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 135 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence of pollutants in organisms and water of inland mariculture systems: Shrimp aquaculture is a procession of Microplastics accumulation

This study examined microplastic contamination in water and shrimp at different stages of both pond-based and industrial inland aquaculture systems, finding that shrimp accumulated microplastics throughout the production cycle. The results establish shrimp aquaculture as a notable pathway for microplastic transfer into the food supply.

2023 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Implications of polystyrene and polyamide microplastics in the adsorption of sulfonamide antibiotics and their metabolites in water matrices

Researchers found that polystyrene and polyamide microplastics can absorb sulfonamide antibiotics from water, with smaller particles and acidic conditions increasing absorption significantly. This means microplastics in the environment can act as carriers for antibiotics, potentially spreading antimicrobial resistance. The finding raises concerns because people may be exposed to both microplastics and the drugs they carry through contaminated water and food.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Microplastics with Antibiotics in Aquatic Environment: Distribution, Adsorption, and Toxicity

This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in waterways, finding that microplastics can absorb antibiotics from the water and change their availability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Critically, microplastics also provide surfaces where antibiotic resistance genes can accumulate and spread among bacteria. This is concerning for human health because it means microplastics in water could be accelerating the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 415 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics pollution on ciprofloxacin bioaccumulation in the edible mussel (Perna viridis): Implications for human gut health risks

Researchers studied how microplastics affect the accumulation of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in edible green mussels from a mariculture farm. They found that microplastics altered the way mussels absorbed and retained the antibiotic, with implications for human gut health when contaminated seafood is consumed. The study highlights the compounding food safety risks when multiple pollutants interact in aquaculture environments.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Potential Vector of Antibiotics in Aquatic Media: Environmental Implications

This review examined the role of microplastics as vectors for antibiotics in aquatic environments, highlighting how their small size, large surface area, and hydrophobicity enable them to concentrate organic pollutants. Co-exposure of microplastics and antibiotics can enhance bioaccumulation in organisms and amplify environmental risk.

2025
Article Tier 2

Quantitative assessment of interactions of hydrophilic organic contaminants with microplastics in natural water environment

Researchers quantified how microplastics interact with common antibiotic pollutants in natural water conditions, comparing virgin and environmentally aged polystyrene particles. They found that aged microplastics absorbed significantly more antibiotics than new ones due to increased surface area and chemical changes from weathering. The study suggests that as microplastics age in the environment, they become more effective at concentrating and transporting other harmful pollutants.

2022 Water Research 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction between antibiotics and microplastics: Recent advances and perspective

This review examines how microplastics in water can absorb antibiotic pollutants onto their surface, especially as the plastics age and develop bacterial biofilms. This interaction is concerning for human health because microplastics carrying antibiotics could promote antibiotic-resistant bacteria in waterways, making infections harder to treat.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 168 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

Aged microplastics were found to sorb antibiotics from fresh and saltwater, with aging processes altering the surface properties of the plastic and increasing antibiotic binding capacity in some cases. The adsorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics could facilitate their transport and delivery to aquatic organisms, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of aged microplastics on the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in oysters and their excreta

Researchers studied how aged microplastics affect the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in oysters and their excreta. The study found that microplastics can serve as carriers for antibiotic resistance genes in filter-feeding organisms, potentially exacerbating the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquaculture environments where plastic contamination is widespread.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Farmed stage (age)-dependent accumulation and size of microplastics in Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp reared in a super-intensive controlled system

Researchers tracked microplastic accumulation in farmed shrimp over their entire growth cycle and found that both the number and size of microplastic particles increased as the shrimp grew older. Shrimp raised in super-intensive indoor systems had higher microplastic contamination than those from traditional ponds or wild environments, likely due to the extensive plastic materials used in the farming infrastructure. Since shrimp is widely consumed seafood, these findings mean that people eating farmed shrimp are likely consuming microplastics that accumulated throughout the animals' lives.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of bioavailability of microplastic-sorbed tetracycline to bacteria for activation of antibiotic resistance genes in water environments

Researchers examined whether antibiotics adsorbed onto microplastics retain their biological activity against bacteria in water environments. They found that tetracycline bound to microplastic surfaces remained bioavailable enough to promote the activation of antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic bacteria. The study suggests that microplastics carrying adsorbed antibiotics may contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in water systems rather than simply immobilizing the drugs.

2026 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Macrolide Antibiotics and a Metabolite onto Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyethylene Microplastics in Aquatic Environments

Researchers studied how four macrolide antibiotics and a metabolite adsorb onto polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics in water. They found that antibiotic adsorption followed a linear model, with PET showing higher adsorption capacity than polyethylene. The study suggests that microplastics in aquatic environments may serve as carriers for antibiotics, potentially affecting how these pharmaceutical pollutants are distributed in water systems.

2024 Antibiotics 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of antibiotic clarithromycin adsorption potential on microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption potential of the antibiotic clarithromycin onto various microplastic types under controlled laboratory conditions, examining how surface properties and environmental factors influence pharmaceutical-microplastic interactions. The study found that microplastics can adsorb clarithromycin, raising concern about microplastics acting as vectors for antibiotic transport and spread in aquatic environments.

2024 Global NEST Journal